Fitness skates

What are the special features of a fitness inline skate?

Inline skating is one of the most popular urban sports, as it can easily be practised with family and friends. Many people take advantage of a long walk to put on their inline skates and combine fun and sport, but roller fitness is also a sport that can be practiced on a regular basis.

What is roller fitness?

Very accessible and extremely fun for all ages, roller fitness is the most popular urban sliding sport, which can be practised alone or in groups, from a very young age. Regular training is often enough to find your balance and enjoy a rollerblading outing.

It is also a discipline, when practised regularly, which allows you to exercise without feeling like you are doing sports. To introduce you to the practice, at Nomadeshop, a 1 hour lesson is offered with the Roller Club de France, for every purchase of a pair of rollerblades.

Roller fitness has the advantage of being able to be practised everywhere as a leisure activity or as an alternative means of transport. All you need is a surface suitable for gliding, such as a cycle track or in the city centre on the pavement or pavements, depending on your speed and level.

How to choose rollerblades?

Whether you are a beginner or an expert in sliding, the choice of fitness skates must take into account several criteria to offer good performance and comfort.

The wheels of fitness rollerblades

With their elliptical shape, the fitness wheels are available in different sizes. The larger wheels (90-110 mm) are recommended for longer distances or for faster rides, for people with a more advanced level. Smaller wheels, 80-84 mm, are for short distances or for beginners and intermediate levels such as the FILA rollerblades, perfect for entry level, or the K2 walking skates.

The wheels of fitness rollerblades are also more or less hard, with an average between 78 and 85A (from the least hard to the hardest). The softer a wheel is, the more it absorbs shock and has a good grip, but its lifespan decreases. A hard wheel will have better performance and less wear.

Bearing quality

There are several gradations of bearing quality that define the performance and strength of bearings. There is the ABEC (Annular Bearing Engineer Council) standard, which ranges in odd numbers from 1 to 11, the ILQ (InLine Quality) standard and many others. The important thing to remember is that the higher the grade, the more efficient the bearing. There are also other grades depending on the manufacturer.

The material of the turntable

In terms of fitness rollerblades, the entry-level models will have plastic composite decks. This makes the skates more affordable in terms of price, but less efficient.

On the higher end models, the frames will be made of aluminium, or magnesium for certain brands such as ROCES, in order to obtain more performance when skating.

The size of the deck and the number of wheels will also affect the performance and efficiency of the roll. Short decks will be more responsive and manoeuvrable. Conversely, longer decks will have more stability and allow for a longer stride.

The size of the fitness rollerblades

The choice of the size of the fitness rollerblades will be essential for your comfort. It is often recommended to choose a size above your normal size, in order to leave enough room for your feet, while ensuring a perfect fit. It is strongly recommended that you try on your rollerblades before buying them when you buy in a shop or when you receive your parcel when ordering on the web, and to rely on the size guide.

The skates should not be too big and your feet should not float in them, otherwise you will get blisters, wear out the skates and you will not skate accurately. The foam of the boot and the sole will crush to give more space with use.

The closing system of the fitness roller

As a rule, fitness rollerblades have a fastening system consisting of a buckle (on the top of the ankle), laces and a strap (on the instep). However, it is possible to opt for one or the other. The buckles have the advantage of being quick to tighten to hold the ankle, while the laces allow you to adjust the firmness of the lacing according to the part of the foot to adapt the lacing to the shape of your feet. The strap keeps the heel in place at the bottom of the shoe.

Protections and customisation of fitness rollerblades

It should not be forgotten that roller skating is a sliding sport which involves risks of falling or being hit. It is therefore important, for each outing, to equip and protect yourself. You should therefore have a helmet, knee pads, wrist guards and elbow pads before you start.

You can also customise your fitness rollerblades with the various spare parts we offer to improve them or replace worn parts by choosing the colour of your wheels, laces and the quality of the bearings.

Visit Nomadeshop to discover all our models of fitness rollerblades.